Breakfast Fest 2015 (Day 2)

Phew!  A six hour day of breakfast making is complete!  Please read yesterday's blog for a rundown of day one (here).  Last night, I spent about 15 minutes laying out the order to which I would make each recipe.  The trick is to not do anymore washing than you have to.  Also, because I'm very particular about no raw eggs getting consumed I wanted to do all of my fresh foods first.


So, if you have completed Day 1 of my Breakfast fest you should have the following:

1 bowl of cooked and scooped butternut squash  (Cream Cheese filled Butternut Squash Bread)
2 loaves of  Thick Butter Bread (French Toast)
A bunch of Sky High Biscuits (Ham, Egg and Cheese Biscuits)
A whole bunch of scrambled eggs (Ham, Egg and Cheese Biscuits and Bacon and Egg Breakfast Burritos)

Today's recipes are found here

When you wake up in the morning, you want to do the following:

Set out all the eggs, butter, cream cheese and blueberries you'll be using.
Print out all the recipes and the plan below.

Now, go do your morning routine while all of your ingredients get to room temperature.

I started today at about 9:30 and finished at about 3:30.  I was pretty busy the whole time, so that was about 6 hours plus about 2 hours yesterday (including shopping time).  It seems like a lot but is well worth it and actually ends up saving you a ton of time in the end.

Okay, so now I present to you...

The Master Plan 

Make sure you follow the steps in order

Setup:

1 zone for cooling/holding station covered with every cooling rack you have
1 zone for cooking and mixing
1 sink always full with hot soapy water

Step 1) Prepping

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees
-In "cooking and mixing zone" place food processor.
-Dice strawberries and set in holding zone(Chocolate Strawberry Muffin Bite)
-Puree butternut squash and place in refrigerator(Cream Cheese filled Butternut Squash Bread)
-Rinse food processor bowl
-Shred zucchini (set enough for Apple, Carrot, Zucchini Bread in bowl)
-Rinse food processor bowl
-Shred carrots (set enough for Apple, Carrot Zucchini Bread in bowl with zucchini)
-Rinse food processor bowl
-Shred cheddar cheese and place in refrigerator(Bacon and Egg Breakfast Burritos)
-Dice enough apple for Apple, Carrot Zucchini Bread (place in bowl with zucchini and apple)
-Set aside food processor bowl to wash
-Wash food processor and put away

Step 2) Breads/Muffins and Toast

-In "cooking and mixing zone" place mixer and griddle.
-Make and bake Lemon, Blueberry Yogurt Bread 
-Rinse mixer's bowl and beater
-Make and bake Apple, Carrot Zucchini Bread
-Rinse mixer's bowl and beater
-Mix and bake Chocolate Strawberry Muffin Bite (Do this by hand, not with a mixer or you'll overmix) place in cooling zone when complete.
-Cut Thick Butter Bread into 8 to 9 slices per loaf (French Toast)
-Start to make French Toast
***Breads should be coming out while making French Toast--place in cooling zone***
-Make and bake Cream Cheese filled Butternut Squash Bread
-Set mixing bowl and beater aside to get washed.
-Wash mixer and set aside.
-Continue until French Toast is complete, placing on cooling zone.
-Fry ham slices (Ham, Egg and Cheese Biscuits)
-Fry bacon (Bacon and Egg Breakfast Burritos) then set aside griddle to cool.

Step 3) Assembly and Freezing

-While bacon is frying assemble Ham Egg and Cheese Biscuits, placing each in a waxed paper bag and then in Gallon Freezer bags when complete.
-As breads an pancake bites cool: slice bread, place on cookie sheets, flash freeze and then place in gallon freezer bags and place in freezer.
-Assemble Bacon and Egg Breakfast Burritos, wrap in waxed paper bags and freeze
-Assemble Oatmeal Packets, place in gallon bags in freezer.
-Finish packing up rest of items, flash freezing and then storing in gallon bags when complete.

Now that wasn't so bad!  And look at all you accomplished!  All told I made:

-36 Chocolate Strawberry Muffin Bites--the recipe makes 48, I just was getting the portions correct
-24 Bacon and Egg Breakfast Burritos
-2 Loaves of Lemon, Blueberry Yogurt Bread
-2 Loaves of Apple, Carrot Zucchini Bread
-36 Oatmeal Packs
-17 big slices of French Toast
-32 Ham, Egg and Cheese Biscuits
-2 Loaves of Cream Cheese filled Butternut Squash Bread.

That is enough for about 170 Breakfasts.  Since my family eat about 3 to 4 servings per breakfast that is 42 to 56 days!  My wonderful husband, armed with an Olaf waffle maker, does breakfast on Saturday mornings, so with that we are set for two months! 

How blessed I am!  Not just because of the food, but because of how smoothly today went.  Lately, life has been quite hectic.  Here in Wisconsin it has been extremely cold, making facing even opening your front door exhausting, I begin to feel a cabin fever.  You start to feel alone, sheltered and for many it becomes a time where you just feel sad but at the same time overwhelmed.

Today, while I was beginning Breakfast Fest, my son, S, asked his Daddy to read "The story of Jesus calming the storm."  Whenever my son asks my husband to read him a bible story, bless my husband's heart, everything and anything gets dropped, the bible is picked up and he obliges.  Today was no different.  From the kitchen I hear my husband read Mark 4: 35-41:

That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.”  Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Today, in all that is the craziness going around here God gave my family a reprieve.  I stood at the counter baking up a storm and my sweet little M helped (at least for as long at a three year old is able).  My one and a half year old circled round, trying as she could to "taste" everything she could, learning flour is bad and that if you sit on mama's lap while cutting bread, you get the only snitch before it gets packed away in the the freezer!  My son played with his dad, went out to eat with grandparents and then returned eager to help me assemble the biscuits.  Games were played, laughs were had and they even got some outside time since the weather decided to actually get above freezing (which around this time of year is such a gift).  I got to enjoy time with my husband and got to see him having so much fun with our kids (even though he was as bad as the kids with snitching), it was so nice having him close!

Tomorrow, my husband goes back to work, I'll be calling doctor's for some much awaited lab results, packing lunches, figuring out what we are going to do about a minivan in need of new tires, cleaning bathrooms, paying bills, ironing...and all the other stresses that go along with life.  But, today God gave us a little "Quiet" a little "Still."  The wind of life died down and it was calm.  Because of that, I feel blessed!  Even the wind and the waves obey our God, our beautiful, calming God!

God Bless!